We were cautiously optimistic when the concept for the real-life Instagram camera, the Socialmatic, popped up online last year. Now, despite a few concerns, Polaroid is officially making the design a reality. The company is partnering with Socialmatic, and when the camera is available this fall, it will allow photographers to either instantly share their shots on "major social media networks" or just run off a hard copy using the device's built-in instant ZINK printer.

Here's a reminder for concept designers and tech industry analysts: just because you can…
Read more Read more

The Socialmatic features a 14-megapixel sensor up front for most of your photography needs, and a much smaller two-megapixel sensor on the back for snapping and sharing selfies. The camera runs Android—accessible via a 4.5-inch touchscreen LCD on the back—so that, using various apps, the images it snaps can be uploaded to any of the popular social networks over a Wi-Fi connection. But if a wireless network isn't available, the Socialmatic can also pass images to a smartphone over Bluetooth for sharing. [Polaroid]